FESTIVAL: JAZZ VISIONS

FESTIVAL: JAZZ VISIONS

Katie Noonan
Looking for a way to break out from your winter hibernation? Well, the Jazz Visions Festival may just be the thing. As there are few music festivals this time of year, it’s a great opportunity to attend the launch of an event where the musical ‘vision’ is to promote lead jazz artists and improvisers in either new or collaborative settings. The event has been organised by SIMA (Sydney Improvised Music Association), a non-profit association first established in 1984 to address the lack of performance opportunities for contemporary jazz artists. Held over seven nights at three venues – two live performances and a film screening on opening night at Colbourne Avenue, two headliner nights at The Everest Theatre, and then five nights at The Sound Lounge – the festival will consist of two bands each night playing one hour sets. These will be made up with local, interstate and international musicians, ranging from the highly acclaimed, Chris Abrahams of The Necks in duo with USA saxophonist Phillip Johnston, to the high profile with Katie Noonan singing from her new CD, Emperor’s Box with Cameron Deyell; to the legendary with USA tenor sax player, George Garzone jamming with the Mike Nock Trio. You may be wondering why Sydney needs a jazz festival? And what will it sound like?

“Jazz is a form of improvised music that in most of its variants has some structure. In origin, it’s American and has a long tradition of its own, but these days it is an art form that’s international,” says Gordana Raketic, SIMA’s Program Co-ordinator. However, Raketic explains festivals weren’t organised to compensate for an absence of performance opportunities throughout the year, but rather existed to highlight the various aspects of an art form in a particular timeframe.

“Some projects are better performed within a festival context than in a club venue,” agrees Peter Rechniewski, Jazz Visions Artistic Director. “Second, such a concentrated set of performances makes it easier give jazz and improvised music a bigger profile. There isn’t an absence of jazz in Sydney but the jazz scene has suffered disproportionately from the makeover of pubs into gambling venues rather than the site of music entertainment and from the restrictive licensing laws that apply in NSW.”

Whatever the approach, SIMA wants audiences to be stimulated, engaged, challenged, entertained and inspired. As they also hope people will sample as many groups as possible, they have created a festival pass to maximise value. “We want Jazz Visions to be a meeting point for audience and creative musician. One way to encourage people to check out music they are ignorant to or which they are resistant, is to attract them with a familiar name doing something different and hope they discover another side to that artist,” says Rechniewski.

“Many people know Katie [Noonan] from the band ‘George’ but we have Katie doing an entirely different but very accessible project on a multi-bill that includes one of the world’s best saxophone players.”

Aug 12–21, The Sound Lounge & Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre & Colbourne Avenue, Glebe, $15-25, 9351 7940, sima.org.au


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